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Radio Waves: Gerry McCarthy: The Keane edge

There are times when radio presenters interview the perfect subject: somebody with an inherently gripping story who knows how to get it across. All the presenter has to do is sit back and shut up.

It happened this week to Leo Enright, standing in for Pat Kenny (Today, RTE R1, Mon-Fri). His guest was journalist Fergal Keane, whose fluency is matched only by the emotional power and commitment of his broadcasting. Keane spoke of his travels in war zones and disaster areas, from the Congo to Iraq.

He talked passionately and with conviction. Even when ostensibly in descriptive mode, as when he spoke of travelling through Africa by air and seeing a ravaged and depopulated landscape, Keane never loses sight of the moral dimension. This lends a rare urgency and authority to his reporting: it also makes him very easy to interview.